General Debate on Agenda item 3: “Protection of the existence of and prevention of violence against religious minorities”

On behalf of World Environment and Resource Council

13 March 2015

Mr. President,

Facing the brutalities of Islamist terror, while President Obama will not go beyond calling it violent extremism, the head of Sunni Islam's oldest seat of learning, Jamia al-Azhar admitted in a counter-terrorism conference in Mecca that extremism was caused by “corrupt interpretations of Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad”, and Islamic curriculums needed to change.

This call for reform, coming from Jamia Al-Azhar, is gratifying. But a half-hearted approach to reform will not work. The problems Muslims face are very basic and cannot be solved with mere tinkering with text-books. The global Muslim community will have to introspect. One question repeatedly asked, for instance, is about the contextual verses of the holy Quran that are utilised by Jihadists to brainwash our youth. Jihadists present these contextual verses as an eternal guide for Muslims.

The truth is these verses came to guide the prophet in the strife imposed upon him in the early years of Islam. They are not supposed to guide our conduct today. But hardly any scholar would come out and say this in so many words. This is what gives the Jihadists their power. If we can't even talk about constitutive and contextual verses of Quran and the difference between their relevance for us today, then how can we face the enormous challenge posed by Jihadists.

Similar challenge is posed by the sayings of the Prophet quoted by the Jihadists to support their brutal, intolerant, xenophobic, supremacist, millenarian thesis. The so-called Islamic State, in particular, does this most adroitly. But what authenticity can one claim for a so-called saying that was collected two centuries after the demise of the prophet. Almost six hundred thousand of such purported sayings were discarded by the scholars in the early centuries of Islam. How can we allow Jihadists to disturb world peace on accounts of such fanciful legends? But we Muslims will have to come out and question the Jihadist thesis from every available forum. Only then we can face this challenge.

However, I am gratified that some moderateMuslims have begun to think seriously about countering jihadist ideology. So far we were in denial, finding it difficult to see any connection between terrorism and some interpretations of Islam that have been propagated widely in the last few decades. Even the international community has not clamped down on the teaching and export of extremist text books from West-friendly Arab countries to madrasas around the world.

It's not just the vice-chancellor of Jamia Azhar but others too that are now calling for reformation in Islam, something that was being done so far in a consistent and methodical manner only on Islamic website New Age Islam. Indeed, New Age Islam remains banned for the last two years in Pakistan for countering the Jihadist theology of violence being propagated on over 150 Jihadi publications in that country.

Thus it is gratifying that several other Muslims from different parts of the world are now coming out to demand introspection and change. Four well-known Muslim intellectuals, for instance, have appealed to all Muslim political and religious leaders to stand up and support what they term "democratic Islam." They have called for a conference in France early next year that would "define the contours of a progressive interpretation of Islam firmly grounded in the 21st century."

Tariq Ramadan, Anwar Ibrahim, Ghaleb Bencheikh and Felix Marquardt have called for a clear-eyed diagnosis of Islam's current plight and want to develop a fundamental critique of Islamic culture and religion.

Mr. President,

The questions they ask need to be answered. For example, why have the regular calls for "an Islamic Renaissance" largely gone unanswered? Why did the "uncompromising critical analysis of the Quran and the prophetic traditions," launched at the beginning of the 20th century, not lead to a lasting Islamic path to modernity? Why are innovative reformers who are looking for a connection between modernity and Islamic norms and values often forced to stand on the edge of society, fighting a losing battle?

What the ulema, intellectuals and politicians have done so far amounts to nothing more than a cosmetic endeavour; they have been hoping and perhaps praying that the issues will go away. But radicalism is deepening and intensifying. It is attracting more and more converts as we can see from the hundreds of boys and even girls running away from well-appointed homes in the West to the battlefields in Iraq and Syria.

So clearly Muslim theologians will need to go beyond superficial statements, walk further in the direction of rationality, prepare a coherent theology of peace and moderation and propagate it among masses, if they want Islam to survive as a moderate religion, a moral standard, and a spiritual path to salvation rather than allow Islamic scriptures to degenerate into terrorist manuals.

If the ulema do not agree to walk their peaceful talk, the larger society should encourage and support those few moderate, progressive Muslims who are willing to go out on a limb, perhaps putting their heads on the chopping block in this process. This section should be able to go to the community directly, bypassing the ulema and campaign.

Some of the most important issues that need to be tackled immediately related to the concepts of Jihad and Takfir (declaring a Muslim apostate). The so-called Islamic State declares in its latest propaganda magazine called Dabiq (7thissue): Islam Is The Religion Of The Sword, Not Pacifism says: Allah has revealed Islam to be the religion of the sword, and the evidence for this is so profuse that only a zindīq (heretic) would argue otherwise." In justification, among others, it quotes profusely from Mohammad Ibn-e-Abdul Wahhab's theological mentor Ibn Taymiyyah who said: “THE BASIS OF THE RELIGION IS A GUIDING BOOK AND SUPPORTING SWORD.”[Majmū’a Al-Fatāwā Ibn Taymiyyah].

The core beliefs of the so-called Islamic State emanate from the following statements that constitute the cornerstones of Wahhabism-Salafism:

“Even if the Muslims abstain from Shirk (polytheism) and are Muwahhid (believer in oneness of God), their Faith cannot be perfect unless they have enmity and hatred in their action and speech against non-Muslims.

“Islam wishes to destroy all states and governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the ideology and programme of Islam, regardless of the country or the nation which rules it. The purpose of Islam is to set up a state on the basis of its own ideology and programme, regardless of which nation assumes the role of the standard-bearer of Islam or the rule of which nation is undermined in the process of the establishment of an ideological Islamic State.

"Islam requires the earth — not just a portion, but the whole planet.... because the entire mankind should benefit from the ideology and welfare programme [of Islam] ... Towards this end, Islam wishes to press into service all forces which can bring about a revolution and a composite term for the use of all these forces is ‘Jihad'. .... The objective of the Islamic ‘jihad’ is to eliminate the rule of an un-Islamic system and establish in its stead an Islamic system of state rule.”

----- Abul A'la Maududi in Jihad fil Islam

One of the most influential Jihadist ideologues today Mohammad Al-Maqdisi explains the Wahhabi central theory of Al-Walaa' Wa Al-Bara, maintaining and expressing hatred and enmity towards all non-Wahhabi Muslims and Others, in this way:

"Showing the disavowal (Barrah) from the polytheists (Mushrikeen) and their false deities.

"Openly declaring disbelief in them and their gods and their methodologies and their laws and their legislation of shirk (polytheism).

"Openly demonstrating the enmity and hatred towards them and their ranks and conditions of disbelief (kufr), until they return to Allah and leave all of that while having disavowal (Barrah) from it and disbelieving in it."

Mr. President,

One would imagine that the followers of Islam who believe, and many certainly do, that Islam is a religion of spirituality, peace, coexistence and tolerance, would be up in arms against the Islamic State. But while routine denunciations from some sections do come occasionally, there is no outrage visible in the Muslim society. The world cannot help noticing that while tens of thousands of Muslims come out on streets to demonstrate the moment there is an allegation of so-called blasphemy against any one, hardly any Muslim would protest at the myriad brutalities perpetrated by Islamist terrorists.

Clearly there is something wrong, some disconnect, some deeper and more complex phenomenon at work than what can be understood from a superficial look at the issue. Instead of expressing outrage, we find thousands of Muslim young men and women running from their comfortable homes, private schools and cushy jobs to fight and join in the brutalities of the so-called Islamic State. Some 12,000 Muslim young men and women are said to have joined so far from 80 countries. Clearly they accept the IS thesis that "Islam Is The Religion Of The Sword, Not Pacifism." Clearly they accept the millenarian, end-time predictions found in the so-called sayings of the Prophet.The inescapable conclusion is that this romanticism may be connected with how Islamic education shapes the Muslim mind in the absence of a counter-narrative.

Vice Chancellor of Jamia al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb has done well to point in the direction of educational reform. While introspection, brainstorming, reformulation of thoughts on a variety of issues, involving the global Muslim community will of necessity be a long-drawn affair, educational reform should begin immediately. The text books being used at the moment are hundreds of years old, prepared in different eras and with very different purposes in mind. Saudi text books that are relatively modern and being exported to the Muslim world in large numbers have been specifically designed to create hatred for other religious communities and non-Wahhabi sects of Islam.

I had pointed this out in one of my previous oral statements in the Council too. A mere look at some quotations from Saudi text books for impressionable young minds will tell us why so many youths, particularly from Saudi Arabia and other countries where these texts are taught are leaving their homes and schools for doing what they consider Jihad in the so-called Islamic State. In a celebrated study of Saudi school text books titled “Teaching Islam," Professor Eleanor Abdella Doumato comments:

"After proclaiming that there is only one Islam for all and there is no room for other interpretations, the schoolbooks lead to the message that philosophy and logic lead to schism, and are therefore especially to be avoided."

Doumato quotes a couple of paragraphs from the text of (10b: 14) and (10b: 15).5 and comments further:

“The message is that intellectual debate and individual reasoning must be sacrificed on the altar of communal harmony and political unity. The lesson is literally a textbook illustration of what Khaled Abou El Fadl describes as the anti-intellectualism of contemporary Saudi Islam's "supremacist, puritanical orientation," which retreats to the "secure haven of the text," where it can safely dissociate itself from critical historical inquiry (El Fadl 2003). ...

“One chapter, in the tenth-grade Tawhid textbook (the unrevised edition), titled the "Call [Da’wah] of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab," describes the progenitor of Najdi Islam as the historical rectifier of deviations in the peninsula, drawing a parallel between al-Shaikh, as he is known in Saudi Arabia, and the Prophet Muhammad. The lesson explains that Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (hereafter MIAW) came as a mercy from God to renew the religion of this Umma, his call for renewal fitting an established pattern: the Prophet Muhammad was sent by God to renew for mankind the creed that had been altered by deviations and innovations over time.”

But what did Mohammad ibn-e-Abdul Wahhab teach and what is being taught to our children today across the Islamic world and indeed, even in the West? One of the most important lessons in these text books is expressed through the concept of Al-Walaa' Wa Al-Bara (which essentially means showing loyalty towards Wahhabi Muslims and bearing enmity towards everybody else).

Let me again quote from this chapter of Teaching Islam;

“The hostility toward the outsider expressed through Al-Walaa' Wa Al-Bara has a history, and the recipients of Wahhabi enmity shift over time. For example, David Commins (2002) shows that the duty to bear enmity was used to rally resentment against the Ottoman Turks in the 1880s. In contemporary Saudi Tawhid schoolbooks, the objects of enmity range from Jews, non-Wahhabi Muslims to Western civilization in general. …

“The textbook used in 2002 explains that anyone who practices non-conformist thought or action among Muslims should not only be corrected but also despised. Non-Muslims are not to be befriended or tolerated; nor can they be simply ignored. They are to be hated. "It is a law of Tawhid that one should show loyalty to the Unitarian (Muwahhid, Wahhabi) Muslim and bear enmity toward his polytheist (Sufi, Non-Muslim) enemies," says the text. ...

10 "The place of Al-Walaa` Wa Al-Baraa` has great standing in Islam," the lesson says, "as the Prophet said: 'The strongest bond of belief is loving what God loves and hating what God hates,' and with these two one gains the loyalty [Wilaayya] of God" (10b: 110). The lesson elevates enmity for the sake of God above the pillars of Islam: "[T]he Prophet said: 'Whoever loves for the sake of God and hates for the sake of God and shows loyalty for the sake of God and enmity for the sake of God, he will achieve the loyalty of God by that, and unless he does so, no worshipper will ever find the taste of faith even if he is excessive in prayer or fasting — (10b: 110).

“Who are the polytheist enemies against whom the monotheist Muslim must bear enmity? To MIAW (Abdul Wahhab), polytheist enemies were other Muslims, especially the Ottoman Turks, Shi`a, Sufis, and anyone who wore amulets or practiced magic. The school text specifies new ways to become an enemy, explaining why Muslims must be alert to show hostility toward the offender. Student should recognize hypocrisy (al-Mudaahana) when they see it. If a person socializes with moral deviants but thinks himself immune to their 'deviancy, he's being hypocritical, and by not breaking off relations with them and showing them hatred he is showing disloyalty to God (10b: 111). The poof text is the story of Abraham, who broke off from those who did, not believe in the one God but instead worshipped idols."11

“In the Fiqh and Hadith texts, imitating the Kuffar (unbelievers) is presented as morally corrupting. Women who dress like foreigners, for example, invite temptation and corruption, so the fabric of Muslim women's dress must be thick enough not to show any skin and wide enough to conceal the contours of the body, and the face must be covered to protect her personality. Imitating the Kuffar is an insult to God because Muslims are supposed to love what God loves and hate what God hates. If a Muslim joins in holiday celebrations with the Kuffar or shares with them their joys and sorrows, he is showing them loyalty (10b: 118). To say Id Mubarak happy holiday) to the Kuffar is as bad as worshipping the cross; it's a worse sin against God than offering a toast with liquor; it's worse than suicide and) worse than having forbidden sex (Artikab Al-Farj Al-Haram); and many people do it without realizing what they have done (10b: 118).

“Imitating the Kuffar by using the calendrical designation "A.D." instead of the Hijra year is another problem, because A.D. evokes the date of Jesus' birth and shows an affinity with unbelievers. At Christmas time, Muslims are not to dress like the Kuffar or exchange gifts or attend a feast or display ornaments. The holidays of the Kuffar should be like any other day for Muslim. As Ibn Taimiyya said, "Agreeing with the Ahl al-Kitab (People of the Book) on things that are not in our religion and that are not the customs of our ancestors is corruption. By avoiding these things, you cease supporting them." Some even say, the lesson warns, that if you perform a ritual slaughter on their day, it's as if you slaughtered a pig.

“The textbooks evoke the past as a warning for the present. A section of the chapter called "Judgment About Making Use of the Kuffar in Employment and Fighting and Things Like That" quotes Ibn Taimiyya as saying, "Knowledgeable people know that the protected people among the Jews and Christians (ahl dhimma min Yahood wa Nasara) wrote to people of their own religion giving secret information about the Muslims" (10b: 119). The principle is to not to cooperate with or trust the Kuffar:

"O you who believe! Do not take for intimate friends those other than your own people; they do not fall short of inflicting loss upon you; they love what distresses you; vehement hatred has already appeared from out of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater still" (Quran 3:118).

“One should not employ an unbeliever if there is a Muslim who can do the job, and if they're not needed, one should never hire them because the Kuffar can never be trusted (10b: 121). Nor should a Muslim accept employment from an unbeliever, for a Muslim should never be in a position of subservience to the Kuffar, who would surely show him disrespect. Nor should he be put in a position requiring him to deny his religion.

“A Muslim should not live permanently among Kuffar because his faith will be compromised and that is why God required Muslims to migrate from a land of unbelief (Bilad al-Kufr) to a land of belief (Bilad Al-Islam). As for those who would rather work for the Kuffar and live among them, this is - the same as showing loyalty to them and agreeing with them. This is apostasy from Islam. And whether one were there out of greed or for comfort, even were he to hate their religion and protect his own, it is not allowed. Beware of the worst punishment. (10b: 121)

“The chapter warns against music, laughter, and singing. ... Proscriptions on joyous behaviours, according to the text, are meant to encourage Muslims to invest all their being in thoughts of God and not expend energy in frivolous activities. However, the significance of such proscriptions shifts to contemporary concerns about the new enemy, the cultural invasion from the West. The "worst kind of imitating the Kuffar" is becoming so preoccupied with the unimportant things the Kuffar have promoted in their own societies that Muslims neglect to remember God and to do good works, for God says: "Oh you who believe! Let not your wealth, or your children, diverts you from the remembrance of God" (Quran 63:9; 10b: 124). The lesson explains that the Kuffar (infidels) assign value to unimportant things because, absent religious faith, their lives are empty.

“What are these unimportant things? First, there are the performing arts, such as singing and playing instruments, dancing, and theatre and cinema, which are visited-by people who are lost from the truth. Then, there are the fine arts (Al-Funun Al-Jamila), such as painting, drawing, and sculpture. (Despite the prohibition on art, some schools in the [Saudi] kingdom do offer art classes.) Then there are sports, which are sometimes more important to youth than remembering God and obeying him; sports cause youth to miss prayers and ignore school and household obligations. Whether such behaviours are permitted or not, the Muslim nation today should save its energy for dealing with challenges from its enemies: "Muslims have no time to waste on insignificant activities" (10b: 124-125).

“Forbidding celebrations of birthdays, especially the birthday of the Prophet, and prohibitions against fine and performing arts are all part of the modern fabric and the historical legacy of Wahhabi culture.”It’s hostility to any human practice that would excite the imagination or bolster creativity," says (Dr. Khaled Abou) El Fadl (2003), is "perhaps the most stultifying, and even deadly, characteristic of Wahhabism." Anything that suggests a step toward creativity," he says, "constitutes a step toward Kufr [infidelity]."

TOTAL COMMENTS:- &nbsp 244

Quran 22:39 mentions that permission to fight against disbelievers only if Muslims are under attack by them since they were wrong to fight against Muslims. The following is the extract:(سورة الحج, Al-Hajj, Chapter #22, Verse #39)-Mohsin Khan translation)‘Permission to fight (against disbelievers) is given to those (believers) who are fought against, because they have been wronged; and surely, Allah is Able to give them (believers) victory –‘As the phrase, Permission to fight (against disbelievers) is given to those (believers) who are fought against, is mentioned in Quran 22:39, it implies that Muslims in this contemporary world has not been granted with permission to fight since they have not been fought against by non-Muslims. The reason why Quran gives permission for these Muslims to fight was non-Muslims were wrong in their first move to fight against Muslims.Quran 4:90 mentions that Muslims should cease in fighting when non-Muslims have withdrawn their fight against them.(سورة النساء, An-Nisaa, Chapter #4, Verse #90)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Except those who join a group, between you and whom there is a treaty (of peace), or those who approach you with their breasts restraining from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. Had Allah willed, indeed He would have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So IF THEY WITHDRAW FROM YOU, and FIGHT NOT AGAINST YOU, and offer you peace, then ALLAH HAS OPENED NO llah has opened no way for you against them. By zuma - 5/17/2017 11:07:37 PM

The notion that people are unclean because they fight is preposterous! By Naseer Ahmed - 5/17/2017 10:57:55 PM

Why should Quran 129:28 condemn pagans to be unclean?It is justifiable for Quran to condemn non-Muslims in the past unclean since they did evil deeds in fighting against Muslims first and that caused Muslims to have no choice to defend themselves. The following is the quranic verse to support it:(سورة البقرة, Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #191)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-Al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah), unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.’The phrase, unless they (first) fight you, in Quran 2:191 implies pagans were evil since they were the first to battle against Muslims.(سورة التوبة, At-Tawba, Chapter #9, Verse #13)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Will you not fight a people who have violated their oaths (pagans of Makkah), and intended to expel the Messenger while they did attack you first? Do you fear them? Allah has more right that you should fear Him if you are believers.’The phrase, they did attack you first, in Quran 9:13 gives another evidence that pagans in the past fought against Muslims first before Muslims fought against them.Secondly, Quran 4:89 mentions that these pagans in the past wanted Muslims to abandon their faith in Allah. (سورة النساء, An-Nisaa, Chapter #4, Verse #89)-Moshin Khan translation:‘They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith), and thus that you all become equal (like one another). So take not Auliya' (protectors or friends) from them, till they emigrate in the Way of Allah (to Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم). But if they turn back (from Islam), take (hold of) them and kill them wherever you find them, and take neither Auliya' (protectors or friends) nor helpers from them. ‘As the phrase, They wish that you reject Faith, is mentioned in Quran 4:89, it exposes the evil desire that pagans in the past had to cause Muslims not to believe in Allah. As the phrase, take neither…friends… from them, is mentioned in Quran 4:89 with the phrase, They wish that you reject Faith, it implies that Quran demands Muslims not to make friends with them since they would cause them not to believe in Allah. The word, They, as mentioned above should surely exclude Jews and Christians and Sabians who believe in Allah for they are blessed people as mentioned in Quran 2:62 below:(سورة البقرة, Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #62)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Verily! Those who believe and those who are jews and christians, and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.’Quran condemns these pagans in the past who persecute Muslims so as to turn them to Muslims to hell. The following is the extract:(سورة البروج, Al-Burooj, Chapter #85, Verse #10)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Verily, those who put into trial the believing men and believing women (by torturing them and burning them), and then do not turn in repentance (to Allah), then they will have the torment of Hell, and they will have the punishment of the burning Fire.’The same is mentioned in Quran 2:81 below:(سورة البقرة, Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #81)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Yes! Whosoever earns evil and his sin has surrounded him, they are dwellers of the Fire (i.e. Hell); they will dwell therein forever.’ By zuma - 5/17/2017 6:11:22 PM

Quran 9:13 mentions that non-Muslims in the past fought against Muslims so as to cause the expulsion of the Apostle that caused them to trigger off war. The following is the extract:Quran 9:13, “What! Will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and aimed at the expulsion of the Apostle, and they attacked you first; do you fear them? But Allah is most deserving that you should fear Him, if you are believers.”The phrase, aimed at the expulsion of the Apostle, as mentioned in Quran 9:13 implies that non-Muslims in the past were violent to the extent to attack the Apostle. The phrase, they attacked you first, in Quran 9:13 implies that non-Muslims were the first to battle against Muslims and that caused them to defend themselves against them.Quran 9:13 would serve no purpose of fighting against non-Muslims nowadays since non-Muslims would not fight against Muslims and some would like to live harmony with them. By zuma - 5/17/2017 3:11:15 PM

Quran 4:100-104 mention that non-Muslims were violent to the extent that they might give sudden attack against Muslims if they unprepared.
Quran 4:100-104 (M.H. Shakir translation), “(100) And whoever flies in Allah’s way [forsakes his home to fight in Jihad], he will find in the earth many a place of refuge and abundant resources, and whoever goes forth from his house flying to Allah and His Apostle, and then death overtakes him [in Jihad], his reward is indeed with Allah and Allah is Forgiving, merciful. (101) Rodwell: And when ye go forth to war in the land, it shall be no crime in you to cut short your prayers, if ye fear lest the infidels come upon you; Verily, the infidels are your undoubted enemies! (102) And when you are among them and keep up prayer for them, let a party of them stand up with you, and let them take their arms; then when they have prostrated themselves let them go to your rear, and let another party who have not prayed come forward and pray with you, and let them take their precautions and their arms; (for those who disbelieve desire that ye may be careless of your arms and your luggage, so that they may then turn upon you with a sudden united attack…”
As the phrase, those who disbelieve desire that you may be careless of your arms and your luggage, is mentioned in Quran 4:102 with the phrase, so that they may then turn upon you with a sudden united attack, it implies that Muslims in the past were in danger since non-Muslims might give sudden attack against Muslims. As a result of the danger Muslims would have faced in the past, Quran warned Muslims in the past to take precautions and arms against them as mentioned in Quran 4:102.
As a result of the violence from non-Muslims, Quran demands Muslims to fight in Allay’s way so as to defend from the sudden attack from barbaric non-Muslims.
By zuma - 5/16/2017 9:57:39 PM

Does Quran 4:89-91 support that Muslims must not associate with non-Muslims?Quran 4:89-91 (M.H. Shakir translation), “(89) They desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved, so that you might be (all) alike; therefore take not from among them friends until they fly (their homes) in Allah’s way; but if they turn back [to their homes], then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from them a friend or a helper. (90) Except those who reach a people between whom and you there is an alliance, or who come to you, their hearts shrinking from fighting you or fighting their own people; and if Allah had pleased, He would have given them power over you, so that they should certainly fought you; therefore if they withdraw from you and do not fight you and offer you peace, then Allah has not given you a way against them [Allah supposedly does not allow Muslims to fight people friendly to Muslims]. You will find other…’The phrase, They desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved, as mentioned in Quran 4:89 implies that these non-Muslims do not believe in Allah. As these non-Muslims do not believe in Allah, these people could not be Jews or Christians or Sabians who believe in Allah. The phrase, They desire that you should disbelieve, in Quran 4:89 implies that these non-Muslims who did not believe in Allah had evil desire to influence Muslims to cause them not to believe in Allah. As a result of their evil desire, Quran 4:89, “…(warned Muslims in the past) take not from among them friends…” so as to avoid them to use violence to force them to forsake their faith in Allah. The phrase, their hearts shrinking from fighting you, in Quran 4:90 implies that these non-Muslims in the past would fight with Muslims so as to force Muslims not to believe in Allah. Quran 4:89-91 could not be applicable to this contemporary world due to modern non-Muslims would not fight with Muslims so as to force them not to believe in Allah and some of them would like to live harmony with Muslims.The phrase, if they withdraw from you and do not fight you, is mentioned in Quran 4:90 with the phrase, Allah has not given you a way against them, it implies that Allah would not permit Muslims to fight with non-Muslims if they cease in fighting. By zuma - 5/16/2017 9:36:43 PM

Quran 3:172 (M.H. Shakir translation), “(As for) those who responded (at [the Battle of] Uhud) to the call of Allah and the Apostle after a wound had befallen them, those among them who do good (to others) and guard (against evil) shall have a great reward.”The phrase, those among them who do good (to others), in Quran 3:172 has spelt out the good deeds that Allah intends for Muslims.The phrase, guard (against evil), in Quran 3:172 demands Muslims that not to do evil deeds. The same has been spelt out in Quran 2:81 & 39:28 as follows:(سورة البقرة, Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #81)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Yes! Whosoever earns evil and his sin has surrounded him, they are dwellers of the Fire (i.e. Hell); they will dwell therein forever.’(سورة الزمر, Az-Zumar, Chapter #39, Verse #28)-Mohsin Khan translation:An Arabic Qur'an, without any crookedness (therein) in order that they may avoid all evil which Allah has ordered them to avoid, fear Him and keep their duty to Him. By zuma - 5/16/2017 5:46:51 PM

Quran 3:158 supports that Muslims who are slain in the way
of Allah could receive forgiveness of sin as mentioned below:

Quran 3:156-158 (M. H. Shakir translation), “(156) O you who
believe! Be not like those who
disbelieve and say of their brethren when they travel in the earth or engage in
fighting: Had they been with us, they would not have died and they would not
have been slain; so Allah makes this to be an intense regret in their hearts;
and Allah gives life and causes death and Allah sees what you do. (157) And if you are slain in the way of
Allah or you die, certainly forgiveness from Allah and mercy is better than
what they amass [what those who stay home from Jihad receive – no booty and no
perks in heaven]. (158) And if indeed
you die or you are slain, certainly to Allah shall you be gathered together.”

As the phrase, those who disbelieve, is mentioned in Quran
3:156 with the phrase, engage in fighting, it implies that non-Muslims in the
past liked fighting.

As explained earlier, the way of Allah, as mentioned in
Quran 2:62 is to believe in Allah and do good deeds since this is the only way
could lead a person to paradise. The
phrase, slain in the way of Allah, in Quran 3:157 should be interpreted as
those Muslims who were slain by non-Muslims had done good deeds in the past and
were faithful to Allah. As the phrase,
if you are slain in the way of Allah, is mentioned in Quran 3:157 with the
phrase, certainly forgiveness from Allah, it implies that Allah only mentions
forgiveness of sins for those Muslims who had done good deeds in the past and
were unfortunately slain by non-Muslims.

By zuma - 5/16/2017 5:35:27 PM

Quran 3:152 only allows Muslims to kill non-Muslims by Allah’s permission. Or in other words, if Allah disallows Muslims to kill non-Muslims, they should not kill. The following is the quranic extract:Quran 3:152 (M.H. Shakir translation), ‘And certainly Allah made good to you His promise when you slew them by His [Allah’s] permission [during a Jihad battle],…’As the word, slew, is mentioned in Quran 3:152 with the phrase, by [Allah’s] permission, it implies that Muslims could only kill non-Muslims with Allah’s permission.Quran 2:193 mentions that there should not be hostility between non-Muslims and Muslims when non-Muslims cease in fighting. Quran 2:193 (M.H. Shakir translation), “And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility…’As the phrase, if they desist, is mentioned in Quran 2:193 with the phrase, there should be no hostility, it implies that Allah gives no permission for Muslims to have hatred against non-Muslims if they would cease fighting. As Muslims should not have hatred against non-Muslims when they cease fighting, it implies that Allah does not give permission for them to fight when non-Muslims cease fighting. Modern non-Muslims do not fight with Muslims and like to live in harmony with them. Certainly! Allah does not give permission for Muslims to fight with non-Muslims since non-Muslims cease in fighting.The same is spelt out in Quran 4:90 as below:(سورة النساء, An-Nisaa, Chapter #4, Verse #90)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Except those who join a group, between you and whom there is a treaty (of peace), or those who approach you with their breasts restraining from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. Had Allah willed, indeed He would have given them power over you, and they would have fought you. So IF THEY WITHDRAW FROM YOU, AND FIGHT NOT AGAINST YOU, and offer you peace, then ALLAH HAS OPENED NO WAY FOR YOU AGAINST THEM. By zuma - 5/16/2017 3:27:46 PM

Quran 2:193-194 and 2:216-218 provide the truth that
non-Muslims in the past were violent and would fight aggressively against
Muslims.The following are the extracts:

Quran 2:193-194 (M.H. Shakir translation), ‘And fight with
them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah, but
if they desist, then there should be no hostility except against the
oppressors.The Sacred month for the
sacred month and all sacred things are (under the law of) retaliation:whoever then acts aggressively against you,
inflict injury on him according to the injury he has inflicted on you and be
careful (of your duty) to Allah and know that Allah is with those who guard
(against evil).’

The word, persecution, as mentioned in Quran 2:193 implies
that Muslims were facing persecution from non-Muslims at the era. The phrase, whoever then acts aggressively against
you inflict injury on him, in Quran 2:194 implies also non-Muslims in the past exercised
aggressive fighting against Muslims.As
non-Muslims fought aggressively against Muslims, Quran 2:193 demands Muslims to
fight defensively with them till persecution from non-Muslims ceased.As the phrase, if they desist, is mentioned
in Quran 2:193 with the phrase, there should be no hostility except against the
oppressors, it implies that there should not be any hostility between Muslims
and non-Muslims if they desisted or ceased in fighting except for oppressors,
or in other words, except those who continuously oppressed Muslims.As Quran 2:195 demands Muslims not to have
hostility against non-Muslims when they ceased fighting, it promotes defensive
fighting instead of aggressive fighting.

Quran 2:216-217 (M.H. Shakir translation), ‘Fighting is
enjoined on you, and it is an object of dislike to you; and it may be that you
dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing
while it is evil for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know.They ask you concerning the sacred month
about fighting in it.Say: Fighting in
it is a grave matter, and hindering (men) from Allah’s way and denying Him, and
(hindering men) from the Sacred Mosque and turning its people out of it, are
still graver with Allah, and persecution is graver than slaughter; and THEY
WILL NOT CEASE FIGHTING WITH YOU UNTIL THEY TURN YOU BACK FROM YOUR RELIGION,
IF THEY CAN; and whoever of you turns back from his religion, then he dies
while an unbeliever…’

The phrase, they will not cease fighting with you until they
turn you back from your religion, in Quran 2:217 implies that non-Muslims in
the past were violent.The reason why
they fought against Muslims in the past was to turn Muslims to be unbelievers ultimately
since the phrase, they turn you back from your religion, is mentioned in Quran
2:217.

The word, unbelievers, as mentioned in Quran 2:217 should
exclude those Jews or Christians or Sabians who believe in Allah since the
word, unbelievers, by its word, should refer to those non-Muslims who do not
believe in Allah.Quran 2:62 even mentions
that Jews and Christians and Sabians who believe in Allah and do righteous deeds
will have their rewards with the Lord.

By zuma - 5/16/2017 8:52:44 AM

I believe I have refuted all the quranic verses that have been brought out above to be abused by muslim extremists. Do you have any other weird quranic or hadith verses that are hard to handle?

By zuma - 5/15/2017 11:00:25 PM

Does Quran forbid Muslims to enjoy the nature and the beauty of the earth?No, it is not true to support since Quran 2:36 mentions that the earth is our dwelling place and it is meant for our enjoyment as a result of Allah’s creation. The entire earth is Allah’s creation. Should we then despise his creation even his aim is meant for our enjoyment? The following is the extract:(سورة البقرة, Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #36)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Then the Shaitan (Satan) made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. WE SAID: "Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On EARTH will be a dwelling place for you and AN ENJOYMENT FOR A TIME." The phrase, We said, in Quran 2:36 should refer Muslims. As the phrase, on earth will be, is mentioned in Quran 2:36 with the phrase, an enjoyment for a time, it implies that Quran does not forbid Muslims to enjoy Allah’s creation of this earth.Quran 4:77 mentions the enjoyment of this world is short. The following is the extract:(سورة النساء, An-Nisaa, Chapter #4, Verse #77)-Mohsin Mohan translation:‘Have you not seen those who were told to hold back their hands (from fighting) and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat but when the fighting was ordained for them, behold! a section of them fear men as they fear Allah or even more. They say: "Our Lord! Why have you ordained for us fighting? Would that You had granted us respite for a short period?" Say: "Short is the enjoyment of this world. The Hereafter is (far) better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly even equal to a scalish thread in the long slit of a date-stone.’The phrase, Short is the enjoyment of this world, in Quran 4:77 does not forbid Muslims to enjoy Allah’s creation of this earth. Should Muslims then condemn Allah’s creation of the beauty of this earth?Even Allah mentions that the earth will be an enjoyment for a time for Muslims. The following is the extract:(سورة الأعراف, Al-A'raaf, Chapter #7, Verse #24)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘(Allah) said: "Get down, one of you is an enemy to the other [i.e. Adam, Hawwa' (Eve), and Shaitan (Satan)]. On earth will be a dwelling-place for you and an enjoyment for a time." As the phrase, (Allah) said, is mentioned in Quran 7:24 with the phrase, on earth will be..an enjoyment for a time, Allah does not forbid Muslims to enjoy his creation of earth.The same is mentioned in other quranic verses as extracted below:(سورة الرعد, Ar-Ra'd, Chapter #13, Verse #26)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Allah increases the provision for whom He wills, and straitens (it for whom He wills), and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter is but a brief passing enjoyment.’(سورة القصص, Al-Qasas, Chapter #28, Verse #60)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘And whatever you have been given is an enjoyment of the life of (this) world and its adornment, and that (Hereafter) which is with Allah is better and will remain forever. Have you then no sense?’(سورة القصص, Al-Qasas, Chapter #28, Verse #61)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Is he whom We have promised an excellent promise (Paradise) - which he will find true - like him whom We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) world, then on the Day of Resurrection, he will be among those brought up (to be punished in the Hell-fire)?’The word, We, in Quran 28:61 should refer to Muslims. The phrase, We have made to enjoy the luxuries of the life of (this) world, in Quran 28:61 implies that Allah does not forbid Muslims to enjoy his creation of this earth. The same is mentioned in Quran 28:77:(سورة القصص, Al-Qasas, Chapter #28, Verse #77)-Mohsin Khan translation:"But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of lawful enjoyment in this world; and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidun (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief-makers, corrupters)."The phrase, forget not your portion of lawful enjoyment in this world, in Quran 28:77 implies that Allah does not forbid Muslims to enjoy his creation of this earth.Quran 32:6 relates the stars of beauty:(سورة الصافات, As-Saaffaat, Chapter #37, Verse #6)-Mohsin Khan trasnaltion:‘Verily We have adorned the near heaven with the stars (for beauty).’Quran 27:60 even praise the creation of gardens on earth to be full of beauty and delight:(سورة النمل, An-Naml, Chapter #27, Verse #60)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Is not He (better than your gods) Who created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you water (rain) from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful gardens full of beauty and delight? It is not in your ability to cause the growth of their trees. Is there any ilah (god) with Allah? Nay, but they are a people who ascribe equals (to Him)! By zuma - 5/15/2017 11:38:24 AM

Does Quran 3:118 support that Muslims should not employ an
unbeliever if there is a Muslim who can do the job or the Kuffar can never be
trusted?

"O you who believe! Do not
take for intimate friends those other than your own people; they do not fall
short of inflicting loss upon you; they love what distresses you; vehement
hatred has already appeared from out of their mouths, and what their breasts
conceal is greater still" (Quran 3:118)

The phrase, inflicting loss upon you
they love what distresses you, in Quran 3:118 implies that these non-Muslims
should have agitated Muslims to cause them to be distressed. The phrase, vehement hatred has already appeared
from out of their mouths, in Quran 3:118 implies the anger that non-Muslims
have upon Muslims. Modern non-Muslims
would not have hatred against Muslims and some even like to live harmony with
them. As modern non-Muslims do not have
any hatred against Muslims, how could Quran 3:118 be applicable to non-Muslims
in this contemporary world at the absence of their hatred upon Muslims. This verse could only be applicable when the
Prophet Muhammad was on earth since non-Muslims at that time were violent and
would even kill seventy Muslims even though their purpose in approaching them
was to have peace treaty with them instead of fighting. The phrase, vehement hatred has already
appeared from out of their mouths, in Quran 3:118 implies non-Muslims in the
past were not only violent, but they also filled with hatred in their faces.

As non-Muslims in this contemporary
world would not have hatred against Muslims and some prefer even to live
harmony with them, how could Quran 3:118 be applicable to this modern world for
the fact that Quran 3:118 could only be able to apply in the past due to
non-Muslims in the past were violent and was filled with hatred against
Muslims.

As Quran 3:118 could only be applicable at the era, it is irrational to use it to support that Muslims in this contemporary world should not employ an unbeliever if there is a Muslims who can do the job.

By zuma - 5/15/2017 5:36:25 AM

Does the following statement seem justifiably from Quranic point of view?
------ Shaikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, Majmua Al-Rasael Wal-Masael Al-Najdiah 4/291 “Islam wishes to destroy all states and governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the ideology and programme of Islam, regardless of the country or the nation which rules it.

The purpose of Islam is to set up a state on the basis of its own ideology and programme, regardless of which nation assumes the role of the standard-bearer of Islam or the rule of which nation is undermined in the process of the establishment of an ideological Islamic State.
The above statement has contradicted against the words of Quran.
Firstly, Quran demands Muslims to be peace-makers instead of trouble-makers on the earth. Yet the above statement demands Muslims to act contradictorily against the words of Quran to make mischief so as to destroy all states and governments anywhere.

The following is the extract:
(سورة البقرة, Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #11)-Mohsin Khan translation:
‘And when it is said to them: "make not mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peace-makers."
Secondly, Quran demands Muslims to do righteous deeds instead of evil deeds since it condemns those who do evil to hell. Yet the former statement promotes Muslims to do evil so much so to create havoc against governors and innocent residents. The following is the extract:
(سورة البقرة, Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #81)-Moshin Khan translation:
‘Yes! Whosoever earns evil and his sin has surrounded him, they are dwellers of the Fire (i.e. Hell); they will dwell therein forever.’
What is Islam ideology and program? The Islam Ideology and program has been spelt out vividly in the following quranic verse:
(سورة هود, Hud, Chapter #11, Verse #11)-Mohsin Khan translation:
‘Except those who show patience and do righteous good deeds: those, theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward (paradise).’
The phrase, do righteous good deeds, is mentioned in Quran 11:11 demands all Muslims to do righteous deeds instead of evil deeds. Yet Muslim extremists twist the words of Quran that Islam ideology is to kill non-Muslims and to stir up havoc against their governors.

By zuma - 5/14/2017 10:47:50 PM

Does Quran 129:29 support Muslims should abstain from Shirk (polytheism) and are Muwahhid (believer in oneness of God) that their Faith could not be perfect unless they have enmity and hatred in their action and speech against non-Muslims?Quran 129:29 (Moshin Khan translation), “Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.’If we would interpret Quran 129:29 that Quran encourages Muslims to fight against non-Muslims, we would have found lots of contradictions with other parts of the Quran. Firstly, the interpretation would have contradiction against Quran 4:90 in which it demands Muslims to cease in fighting even if non-Muslims would offer peace treaty with them. The reason is simply that Muslims should continue in fighting with non-Muslims if they would have withdrawn their fight as a result of peace treaty. Secondly, the acceptability of this interpretation would imply that Muslims must continue in fighting to make mischief on earth despite non-Muslims do not fight with them and that contradicts Quran 2:11 that mentions that Muslims should not make mischief on earth since they are merely peace-makers. Thirdly, the interpretation would certainly contradict Quran 5:32 that demands Muslims not to kill innocent non-Muslims.(سورة المائدة, Al-Maaida, Chapter #5, Verse #32)-Mohsin Khan translation:‘Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land - it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. And indeed, there came to them Our Messengers with clear proofs, evidence, and signs, even then after that many of them continued to exceed the limits (e.g. by doing oppression unjustly and exceeding beyond the limits set by Allah by committing the major sins) in the land! ‘The phase, all mankind, in Quran 5:32 covers all the Muslims and non-Muslims. Thus, this verse forbids Muslims to kill non-Muslims and even moderate Muslims.The problem of interpretation lies upon the word, fight. If the word, fight, in Quran 5:32 has to be interpreted as defensive fighting, the entire sentence would turn up to be like:Quran 129:29 (Moshin Khan translation), “Fight (defensively) against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.’Once the word, defensively, is added in Quran 129:29, the entire verse would turn up to be justifiable since Muslims only have to fight defensively against those who believe not in Allah. As Muslims could only fight defensively against non-Muslims, Muslims should only fight if non-Muslims first fight with them. If non-Muslims cease in fighting, Muslims should cease in fighting too. By zuma - 5/14/2017 10:14:05 PM